Genealogy charts and forms help you organize names, dates, relationships, and the records behind them. They make it easier to see what you know, spot missing information, and share your research with relatives. You can use them on paper or keep completed copies with your digital files.
Two useful starting points are an ancestral chart, often called a pedigree chart, and a family group sheet. Blank census, immigration, and military forms can also help you read and record information from historical documents. Each tool serves a different purpose, so choose the one that fits the question you are working on.
Ancestral Charts: Follow One Person’s Family Lines
An ancestral chart starts with one person and works backward through that person’s parents, grandparents, and earlier generations. It gives you a clear view of direct ancestors. Depending on the layout, it may include spaces for birth, marriage, and death dates and places.
Start with yourself or the relative you are researching. Add information you can support with records, and leave uncertain details blank or mark them as unconfirmed. An empty space is useful: it shows where your next search might begin. Do not fill a space simply because an online tree supplies a name.
If one chart does not hold all the generations you need, continue a branch on another sheet. Use the numbering system printed on the form, or label the continuation clearly so you can follow the connection later. Fan charts and other display styles can make family lines easier to share.
I once joined several printed charts together, framed them, and gave the finished family tree to a relative. A chart can be a thoughtful gift, but a display copy is only a summary. Keep your source citations and supporting documents with your research files.
Family Group Sheets: Record the Whole Household
A family group sheet brings together information about a couple and their children. It helps you track siblings, spouses, dates, and places that may be harder to follow on an ancestral chart. Use a separate sheet for each couple when a person married more than once.
Record children in birth order when you can establish it. Include earlier names and spelling variations in your notes rather than silently changing what a record says. If dates or relationships conflict, explain the disagreement and identify the sources you still need to examine.
These sheets are useful at libraries and archives. Bring the family’s names, approximate dates, and known places with you, then note new findings as you work. Keep the source of each finding close to the information it supports, either on the sheet or in an attached research log.
Family group sheets can help organize an application to a lineage society, but each society has its own requirements. Use its current application forms and evidence instructions. A completed chart alone does not prove a relationship.
Blank Record Forms: Read Historical Documents More Clearly
A blank form can help when column headings on a census image or passenger list are difficult to read. Compare the blank form with the original document to understand which questions were asked. Match the form to the record’s year and type, since questions and layouts changed over time.
The National Archives Charts and Forms page provides printable charts and blank forms for several census, immigration, and draft registration records. Choose a form that matches the document you are using rather than assuming one worksheet fits every record.
Copy the information carefully, including unfamiliar spellings. Mark a word as unreadable when you cannot make it out, and put your interpretation in a separate note. Keep a copy of the original image and its citation. Your completed worksheet is a research aid, not a replacement for the historical record.
Downloading and Saving Genealogical Charts and Forms
Open the chart or form you want, then download the PDF to a folder you can find again. Keep one blank master copy and save completed versions under different names. A useful filename might be “Moneymaker-William-Family-Group-2026-10-03.pdf.” Use a consistent pattern that makes sense to you.
You can print a form and complete it by hand. If you prefer typing, check whether the PDF has fillable fields. Otherwise, your PDF software may let you add text. After saving, reopen the completed file to make sure the information is still visible. Check the print preview before printing.
Scan completed paper forms so you have a digital copy. Label each sheet with the family or person, the date you updated it, and the location of its supporting sources. When research changes a conclusion, save a revised copy and explain the change in your notes.
Protect Your Work and Share It Carefully
Keep more than one copy of your completed forms and source files. Store a backup separately from your computer, and keep another copy away from your home or in a secure cloud service. Check your backups occasionally. Printed charts can be helpful, but they do not preserve every document or note in your research.
Before sharing a chart, review information about living relatives. Remove private details unless you have permission to include them. Tell the recipient which relationships are supported and which remain uncertain, and include enough source information for them to follow your work.
You do not need a large collection of forms to begin. Start with one ancestral chart and one family group sheet for a family you know. Add a research log as you gather records. Update these tools regularly, and let the gaps guide your next steps.
Learn More
Charts and Forms | National Archives: Download printable ancestral charts, family group sheets, and blank historical record forms.
Genealogy Notes: Why You Need Them and How to Take Them the Right Way: Keep a useful record of your searches, findings, and unanswered questions.
Citing Sources: Connect the information on your forms to the records that support it.
Must-Have Tools for a New Genealogist: Choose practical tools for starting and organizing your family history research.
